People and land in the holiness code : who is YHWH’s favourite?

摘要

The article is interested in how land ( ) is personified in the HolinessCode. It starts by describing the different “countries” portrayedin the Holiness Code and then discusses all the instanceswhere land functions as the subject of a verb (Lev 18:25, 27, 28;19:29; 20:22; 25:2, 19; 26:4, 20, 34, 38, 43). The land at timesseems to be close to being a human character by “becomingdefiled,” “vomiting,” “acting like a prostitute,” “observing theSabbath,” “giving” and “enjoying.” These verbs are all usuallyassociated with human actions. In the light of these texts the articlethen attempts to describe the relationship between land, YHWH andthe addressees. It becomes clear that there is a closer relationshipbetween YHWH and the land than between YHWH and the addressees.The article then attempts to engage with Habel’s ecojustice principlesshowing that the ancient authors of the Holiness Code mighthave been familiar with some of them.